


Nightmares and Magic

by notsogreatwithnames



Category: The Dark Half (1993)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, F/M, Fluff, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-03
Updated: 2019-03-03
Packaged: 2019-11-08 11:03:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17980124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notsogreatwithnames/pseuds/notsogreatwithnames
Summary: After the death of her mother, Reader has come back to dreary Castle Rock and runs into childhood crush, Alan Pangborn.





	Nightmares and Magic

The rental car you were driving rolled to a stop, the tires flattening the red, gold, and brown leaves down onto the faded asphalt road. The heater in the car barely functioned and you waited at the one stop light in town bundled in your charcoal gray peacoat, black scarf and knitted beanie. Glancing around at the rundown buildings of Castle Rock, a flood of memories rushed over you.

After graduating high school, your visits back home became few and far between. There always seemed to be a dark cloud hanging over the small Maine town; either strange occurrences happened to you, or you knew someone who knew someone things happened to. Your senior year was plagued with missing children, escaped inmates, and a husband and wife found dead in the short lived bed and breakfast. When you broke ties with the town, it felt like a weight was lifted from your body.

Your mother’s passing is what brought you back. With both parents gone now, you were the only one left to take care of the affairs. Arriving late last night to the two story Victorian, you were driving into town this morning to pick up some food at the convenience store. It hadn’t even been twenty four hours and you could already feel the internal dread seeping back into your body.

You walked into the small shop, grabbed a red plastic basket and started to roam the short aisles. Staring at a shelf holding multiple kinds of peanut butter, you zoned out. The lack of sleep from last night finally catching up to you, you failed to notice the male presence walk past you, stop, and then come back.

“(Y/n)?! Is that you?” a raspy voice called you out of your trance. Creasing your brows you turned, wondering who could have recognized you. Before you stood the town sheriff. His short brown curls framed his reddened, wind burned face and his lean, but bulky frame towered over you. Taking in the man’s whole appearance with his brown and tan uniform, it took you a minute to recognize him, but those sparkling blue eyes had failed to change over the years. Glancing down at his badge only confirmed your thoughts.

“Alan?!” you said surprised. “You’re the sheriff?”

“Somebody’s gotta look after this place,” he shrugged his shoulders. “How ya doin?”

You sighed at his question. Of course word had spread at the passing of your mother. It was the Castle Rock PD that notified you of her passing, after old Mrs. King placed in a call saying she hadn’t seen your mother come out of the house in a few days. The elderly woman was the eyes of Castle Rock, always peering out her forrest green shades to lurk at residents.

“I’m okay. Just weird being back,” you finally said to him.

“Yeah, thought I saw a light on at your mother’s place on patrol last night. Never thought I’d ever see the likes of you around here again.” Alan’s lips formed a small smile and your cheeks prickled. Even after all these years, he could still make your heart flutter.

You were only a freshman when he was a senior and dating Annie, but you’d had a crush on him ever since you were little. The Pangborns had lived only a couple houses down the street from you, and you spent many summer days sitting out in the front yard just to get a glimpse of him. On your walks to school he and Annie would always pass by in his car, and you’d spend the rest of your walk daydreaming about being in that car with him instead.

“Well, I’ll be here for awhile,” you said and grabbed a random jar of peanut butter. Alan followed you up and down the aisles of the store and you two started to reconnect. When you made it to the check out, he told you he had to get back on duty.

“Hey, if you’re free tomorrow night, wanna grab a drink at the Mellow Tiger?” He asked as he stuck his hands into the pockets of his brown pants.

“Sure,” you blushed.

————————————–

Cleaning out the house proved more tiresome than you thought. Your mother never liked throwing anything away and the attic was littered with objects so that you couldn’t see the walls or floor. You rummaged through boxes upon boxes late into the evening and when you saw it was one in the morning decided to go to bed.

However, sleeping in the old structure proved difficult. You had forgotten how much you actually disliked the house you were raised in, especially at night. The groans and pops of the vintage pipes echoed throughout the frame and suddenly you remembered all those times as a child when you swore you could see shadowy figures down the hall. Somehow having both your parents in the house helped you swallow your fear back then. But now, alone in the big space, you realized just how scared you still were.

The floor creaked under your feet as you went to shut the door to your room, blocking out the long dark hallway, and you turned on the tv sitting on the dresser. Shutting off the light, the room glowed with the flickering picture from the television and you closed your eyes. The comforts of the closed door and the Golden Girls playing on the screen still didn’t seem to help as visions of shadowy figures plagued your dreams. You tried to escape the confines of the house but every door and window you pushed and pulled at were sealed shut. The dark masses slowly followed you around, until you had nowhere to go. Huddled in a corner, you folded your arms over your head as the black shadows grew closer and closer.

You woke up gasping for air and glanced at the alarm clock. It had only been an hour since you’d fallen asleep. Trying to find a comfortable position, you tossed and turned the rest of night, finally getting up when the sun began to rise. You continued to go through the contents of the attic until it was time to meet Alan at the bar.

Walking into the packed room, you saw the mass of curly hair over at a two seat table, picking at the label of his beer bottle. Still dressed in his uniform, Alan seemed to perk up when he saw you walking towards him. You ordered a bottle of beer as well when the waitress came over, and you and Alan picked up where you left off at the convenience store.

“So how long you planning on staying?” he asked taking a sip of beer. You watched as he licked his bottom lip clean of the couple drops that seeped from the bottle.

“Probably a couple weeks,” you finally said after you realized Alan had noticed you were watching him for a split second longer than normal. “Uh, I still have a lot of house cleaning and fixing up to do before even putting it on the market…If anyone will buy it.” He nodded his head, real estate in Castle Rock wasn’t the wisest choice of investment. The night continued and a couple bottles of beer later you were ready to go home. Whether or not you would sleep was another question.

Alan paid for the tab and walked with you back to the rental car. “Ya good to drive?”

You smiled at him. Even when he was off duty, he was still on guard.

“Yep, I’m good.” you glanced around the small parking lot, looking for the tan suv he drove as sheriff. “Where’s your car?” you wondered.

“Oh, I walked here,” he stated. Creasing your brows in confusion, you looked around again. Certainly the amount of beer your had wasn’t affecting your hearing.

“Really? That’s kind of a far walk. Longview’s on the other side of town isn’t it?” you asked.

“Uh, actually,” Alan said, scratching the back of his neck in a nervous manner. “I live in the apartments just down the block. Didn’t really need all that space…anymore,” his voice grew softer as he finished his sentence. He gave a huff of a laugh to try and diffuse the situation, but it was too late. Your face fell flat at his words and your insides were turning over in embarrassment. He had lost Annie and his son to a car crash.

“Oh my god. I am so sorry!” you started apologizing profusely. You had forgotten about the phone call you received from your mother a few years ago about it. It was the talk of Castle Rock for a good six months. “I am the biggest asshole ever. I didn’t –,”

“No, no no. It’s fine,” he waved his arm at you, letting you know you didn’t offend him “It’s alright. It’s been a few years since it happened. Probably should start going out more, at least that’s what Mrs. King says.”

Your heart started beating at a normal pace again at his words. You still thought you were the biggest idiot ever, but Alan had a way of calming you and your internal thoughts down. Even when you were younger and tripped in front of the whole school at lunch one day, faceplanting right into your tray of mashed potatoes and gravy. While everyone laughed, he came over to help you up.

“Can’t tell you how many times she’s set me up when I check in on her,” he shook his head.

“Oh, I’d love to see that,” you laughed.

“No, you wouldn’t” he deadpanned, though you could see the hint of a smile on his face. Alan opened the car door for you and both of you agreed to meet up again the same time tomorrow night.

————————–

For the next week it became routine; meet up with Alan at the bar, head home and be tormented by the same nightmare, sleep for maybe an hour at sunrise, get up and clean out the house, and then go meet Alan again. By the seventh day you couldn’t hide the bags under your eyes anymore and Alan finally spoke up.

“Are you alright?” his eyes grew concerned as you zoned out while looking at the late night menu.

“Mhmm, fine. Just haven’t been sleeping all that great,” you shrugged it off. You didn’t want to bother him with your small problems when he had a town’s worth to deal with. He didn’t press any further, but watched you closely the rest of the night. You finished your meals and drinks and headed out to the parking lot.

“So, same time tomorrow?” you asked while fishing out the keys to the car in your purse.

“Um,’ Alan cleared his throat. “I’m gonna have to pass on tomorrow.”

“Oh,” you lowered your face, a little hurt at his words. Out of everything you were dealing with, your nights with Alan were the highlight. You thought maybe he had a ‘Mrs.King-inspired’ date, but Alan read your demeanor and was quick to clarify.

“Tomorrow’s Halloween. I don’t do Halloween.”

You looked at him confused.

“It’s my one night off and I tend to spend it at home, alone. Let the other officers handle the crazies,” he explained.

“Got it,” you nodded and stuck the key into the car door to unlock it. You were about to get in when Alan spoke up.

“You got a pen?” he asked while his hands moved up and down his body, feeling his pockets. You dug into your purse again and came out with a blue ink pen. He grabbed it with one hand while the other reached into his back pocket and pulled out a wrinkled receipt. Alan put the paper on the hood of your car and began to write.

“If you need me tomorrow, this is my home number,” he said, closing the pen and handing you the piece of paper. “I mean it. Anything at all, I’m just a phone call away.”

“Thanks,” you smiled and stuck the paper into your purse. He hugged you goodnight and waited until you left the parking lot to start walking back to his place. 

————————–

The next day played out as usual. You had managed to make it through the attic in the week you had been here and were now starting on the damp, dark, unfinished basement. Glancing down at your watch, it was close to eight at night. Since it was technically a holiday, you decided to end your work early and see if maybe you’d finally be tired enough to fall into a deep sleep with no dreaming at all. Walking up the wooden staircase to the first floor, you shut off all the lights as you went around. You weren’t in the Halloween spirit and didn’t want to chance any wayward trick or treaters coming to the door.

Getting to the second floor, you changed out of your jeans and sweater and into an oversized navy blue tshirt. In keeping with tradition, you closed the door to the bedroom and switched on the tv to help lull you to sleep. You nestled further into the covers, your body starting to relax and soon the voices on the television faded away.

You were in the basement again, packing away black and white photos of unknown ancestors when a chill ran through your body. Your heart pounded against your chest as you slowly turned around and saw nothing but darkness, the black shadows inches away from you. You screamed and tried to run to the staircase but tripped and the creatures took their chance and swarmed you. When they touched you, you flinched at the coldness and the jerk of your body forced you awake. Gasping underneath the sheets, tears ran down your face. You weren’t sure how much more of this you could take.

Once your breathing was under control you got out of bed and reached into your purse laying on the ground. Pulling out the receipt Alan had left his number on, you searched for the cordless phone in your room but couldn’t find it. Opening the door to the bedroom, you quickly felt for the hall light switch on the wall and turned it on. Tiptoeing your way to the hallway railing, which allowed you to see the entire living room below, you could make out the phone sitting on the couch. You inhaled a deep breath and slowly walked down the hall, to the stairs, and briskly crossed the open floor to the couch and picked up the bulky gray phone. Your thumb hovered over the on button when you second guessed yourself. It was late, you were being silly and didn’t want to disturbed Alan on his one night off.

Then you heard it. Multiple deep pounds near the back of the house by the kitchen followed by the creak of one of the windows. You screamed, and as you ran back up the staircase, you saw out of the corner of your eye a shadowy figure heading away from the house through the bay window. Clutching the phone and paper tightly in your hand you plowed into the hall bathroom, locked the door, and dialed Alan’s number. The line clicked.

“Hello?” his groggy voice answered.

“Alan?” you squeaked.

“(Y/n)?” he said, a little more awake.

“I’m sorry. I woke you up,”

“No, it’s fine. What’s wrong?”

You swallowed back a sob. “I…I think someone tried to break in the house.”

“What?” you could hear the clank of his recliner move as he bolted upright. “Are you ok? Where are you?”

“I locked myself in the upstairs bathroom,” you said as you heard him shuffling around in the background.

“Ok, stay there. I’m on my way,”

“No, please don’t hang up,” you whined. There was a pause on the phone.

“Sweetheart,” Alan sighed. “I gotta hang up in order to get to you. If something happens, I want you to call Mary at the station. She’ll patch me through alright?”

“Ok” you nodded.

“Alright, I’m gonna hang up now. I’ll be there ten minutes tops.”

“Frog,” you called out before he hung up.

“What?” Alan asked, wondering if you’d had a stroke as well.

“My…my mom kept a spare key under the frog in the flowerbed,” you told him. Alan acknowledged the information and then you heard the click of the phone again.

Huddled in the corner between the tub and sink, it felt like hours before you heard footsteps on the porch and the front door open. A few moments later, there was a knock at the bathroom door.

“(y/n) it’s Alan. You can open up the door,” his warm voice called. For the first time all night you finally felt relieved. Unfolding your arms from your legs, you stood up on the cold tile floor and unlocked the door. Your eyes did a double take when you saw Alan standing there in his brown jacket, gray sweatshirt and pants, and white tennis shoes. Your mind still expecting to see him in uniform for some reason.

“You ok?” he asked. For a split second, you saw his eyes grow large at your minimal attire before his stoic sheriff face came back. You nodded your head and he gathered you in his arms. Burying your face in his chest, his mint and woodsy smell help calm your body. He walked you back to your room where you both sat down on the edge of the bed.

“Walked the perimeter and checked everything inside. Found some muddy footprints and empty beer cans at the edge of the woods out back. My guess is it was some kids thinking this place was abandoned,” he told you. You nodded your head and thanked him. Alan went downstairs to get you a glass of water and seeing your still worried look, reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a coin.

“Hey” he said softly and sat back down getting your attention. He made sure he saw the quarter in his hand before twirling it through his fingers and it disappeared. You smiled and let out a laugh.

“So you don’t do Halloween, but you like magic?” you lifted an eyebrow. Alan shook his head.

“It’s different,” he stated as the quarter reappeared in his palm. “Magic is a science. An illusion takes practice and precision.” He swiftly moved his hands again and it vanished. “There’s no surprises because I’m in control,” he tucked a strand of hair behind your ear and the quarter emerged when he brought his hand back. “Halloween is a bunch of teenagers trying to break into an abandoned house and raise the dead,” he sighed. You took a sip of water and laid back against the headboard.

“Can I get you anything else?” he asked as he got up.

“Uhh” you started. You weren’t sure how he would react to your request. “Could you maybe… stay a little while? I haven’t really slept a whole lot since I’ve been here.”

Alan’s blue eyes met yours and you saw him swallow the lump in his throat. “Oh, sure” he agreed. He walked back over, taking his jacket off and sliding his shoes off his feet. Slowly he got onto the bed and sat next to you. You scooted down to rest your head on the pillows and laid in silence as both of you watched old reruns of a black and white sitcom. Sometime in the middle of the night you tossed and turned, but could hear Alan’s calming voice next to you, calling you out of the nightmare.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. I’m right here,” he whispered. You turned at the sound of his voice and instead of the cold touch of the dark figures, you felt warm hands wrap around your body. You nuzzled up to the broad frame, falling back asleep.

————————–

The sound of the toilet flushing down the hall woke you up, and you were surprised to see sunlight illuminating the room. The shuffling of feet came closer and Alan walked back into the bedroom to see you awake and smiled.

“Morning. How’d you sleep?” he asked as he grabbed his shoes and sat on the edge of the bed.

“Honestly,” you said. “That was probably the best night of sleep I’ve had since I’ve been here.”

“Yeah, I slept pretty good too,” Alan admitted. “I, uh, better get going though. Gonna be late to work.” You grabbed the fleece blanket draped over the wingback chair and wrapped it around your body before walking Alan down to the front door. Standing in the entrance foyer, you thanked him again.

“Hey, if you’re free after your shift tonight would you like to come back over? I can make dinner or something,” you suggested.

“Sure, sounds great,” he said throwing on his jacket.

“Great,” you agreed. Noticing a tuft of curly hair sticking up on the side of his head, you brushed your hand over his soft hair to try and smooth it out. Alan took the opportunity of you being so close and gave you a soft kiss.

“Till then,” he said and opened the front door. Smiling, you watched him walk down the porch steps and into his suv.

As promised, Alan came back later that night, and the next night, and the night after that. Soon, he stayed permanently, both of you becoming each other’s light underneath the dark dome of Castle Rock.


End file.
